By Rory Reynolds
A RARE “uncorrected proof” edition of the first Harry Potter book in which J.K.Rowling’s name is spelled wrongly has been sold for £1600 at auction.
The plain-covered Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – written by ‘J.A.Rowling’ – was snapped up by a collector at Edinburgh’s Lyon & Turnbull auction house yesterday.
The copy was one of a handful sent to critics and booksellers around the UK to build up interest, after publishers Bloomsbury paid Rowling an advance of just £1,500.
The book, which also contains spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, was written on an old manual typewriter in coffee shops around Edinburgh as Rowling struggled as a single mother on benefits.
The Philosopher’s Stone was the first of seven novels, and the basis for the hugely successful film series, which brought Rowling a personal wealth of more than £500million.Alex Dove, books specialist at Lyon & Turnbull, said that the copy is a real treat for avid fans of the multi-billion pound franchise.
Mistakes
She said: “They would have been sent out to critics to review by the publishers.
“There are some mistakes, and the main one obviously is that they actually spelt her name wrong.
“On the inside cover they have her down as J.A.Rowling, and on the publisher’s note they call her Joanna Rowling.
“The copies where critics have written their review on the pages, or written ditties, will be worth a lot more, and the first editions we’ve seen do fetch more than this will.
Collectors’ item
“But it’s still quite a collectors’ item and it’ll make somebody who wants the whole collection very happy.”
Rowling, who calls herself Jo, has since said that ‘no one ever called me ‘Joanne’ when I was young, unless they were angry.”
The near-overnight success of the novels and the big-budget movie franchise that it spawned is believed to be worth between £15billion.
It was purchased yesterday by a private buyer who did not wish to be named.
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